“We only had one day off in 30 days”: An interview with Kioway following the release on MWI

Hi! As for the tournament itself, the team and I trained a lot and were confident that we’d easily get through the regular season and make it to the finals. To be honest, we thought Virtus.pro would be our main rival, but in the end, we faced Aurora in the grand final.

After the final, I felt completely drained. To be honest, I literally couldn’t feel my own body; I was still reeling from the shock and couldn’t quite believe what had happened. After the first loss, we were counting on a 4-1 victory—we were leading 3-1 and were very close to ending the match.

But then the problems started—we had internet issues, and the ping shot up to 100... I was given two heroes who rely heavily on a stable connection, and I couldn’t play my best with them. Because of that, we lost a few maps. Plus, I guess overconfidence played a role somewhere…

On one of the maps, when the score was 3-1, we were practically just going in to finish the game. The Aurora players defended until the very end, dragging out the match, and in the end, we made a mistake and lost the map that was supposed to be the last one in the series.

They had a different roster by then, one that had only been playing together for about a month or a little longer at that point. Besides, I used to play for Rising Rage (ex-VP) myself, so I knew many of the players well and understood the nuances of their gameplay. I guess that helped too.

There wasn’t any particular pressure before the matches against them. We knew exactly how to play against that lineup.

We just didn’t see eye to eye; I couldn’t gel with some of the Rising Rage players. At some point, it became clear that we’d be better off going our separate ways. After that, I received an invitation to join Geltek Cyber Team and decided to join the new team.

I wouldn’t say there are any truly high-stakes rivalries in our region. For me, only matches on the international stage can have that status—for example, against Vitality, who have won major tournaments many times and have a serious winning streak behind them.

That’s where I really want to test our mettle and show just how strong our region is. If we manage to face them at a major tournament, especially in the later stages, it’ll be very interesting.

Our boot camp started about a month before the tournament began. I believe it contributed more than 50% to our success. During that time, we really bonded as a team and trained literally every day. In 30 days, we had only one day off. So the result is absolutely justified by our hard work—we really put a huge amount of time and effort into getting better.

First and foremost, Geltek Cyber Team stands out because the organization truly meets the players’ needs in virtually every area. There is a very high level of trust both within the roster and from management.

The club treats the players with care, listens to their opinions, and does everything possible to ensure we feel comfortable working and developing. That’s very important to me.

I’ve had the chance to pick pretty much every hero I play. If we’re talking about the tournament meta in general, I’d highlight Guinevere, Buxia, and Harley. These are heroes that appeared very often in drafts and were regularly banned.

If we’re talking specifically about me and the heroes I feel most comfortable playing, my list looks a little different. I’d put Lancelot in first place, Lee Sun-Shin in second, and Nolan in third. A lot depends on my individual mechanics with these characters, and they’re the ones I feel most confident with. Plus, we have good win rates with these heroes.

Overall, it suits me. I’d like to see more junglers like Ling, Lancelot, and so on in the game, so that a player’s individual skill matters more.

Right now, Baksy has been a strong pick for many seasons, and he isn’t the hardest hero to play. That’s why I’d like to see more characters in the meta that allow players to showcase their own skill.

Right now, the jungler remains one of the most important roles in the game—a lot depends on your decisions, routes, and rotations. But at the same time, we can’t forget that a jungler’s success is directly tied to the actions of the mid laner and the carry. Everything is very interconnected. There is no such thing as a strong jungler without team support, and vice versa.

Nevertheless, it is the jungler who most often opens up the map, looks for opportunities to gain advantages, applies pressure on objectives, and tries to find weaknesses in the opponent’s game. Therefore, this role still has a very significant impact on the match.

We’re taking a short break right now. We’ve completely stopped training until June 3 so we can recover and recharge for a week or two. After that, we’ll gradually return to a full training regimen.

As for tournaments between Lady MVP and MWI, there probably won’t be any. Unless we try to qualify for some open tournaments. No women’s competitions are expected in the near future.

I think what I remember most is the atmosphere. How the representatives of other teams supported us, how warmly they welcomed us.

We became friends with practically all the female participants, and it felt like the whole tournament was one big family. It wasn’t like I arrived at a competition where everyone was against me. Quite the opposite! They support you, chat with you, and then step out on stage against you and put up a very serious fight.

It was truly a unique experience that I still look back on with great fondness.

In my opinion, a well-coordinated Russian-speaking roster is capable of performing just as well, and possibly even better.

Before MWI 2024, we trained with the Filipino players for only about a week. Before that, the team hadn’t played together for nearly a month. Now we have a completely different level of preparation, and our training process is much more systematic.

That’s why I’m confident we can aim for at least the same result we had in 2024. A lot will also depend on how much the level of competition in other regions has grown over the past two years.

Thank you to everyone who supports us, follows our matches and social media, and shares our excitement. It is precisely because of your support that we want to work even harder and achieve new results. I hope we can delight you with a strong performance at MWI. Cheer on Geltek Cyber Team!